Discharge closure for liquid containers



Dec. 3, 1924. 1,520,502

E. O. LU NDBLAD DISCHARGE CLOSURE FOR LIQUID CONTAINERS Filed June '7. 1924 EEIIIL O. LUNDBLAD, (3F MEDFORD, MEAS$ACHUSETTS DISCHARGE GLOS'UIEE LIQUID CONTAINERS.

\ Application filed June 7,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMIL O. LUNDBLAD, a subject of Sweden, residing at Medford, in the county of Middlesex and State of ltlassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Discharge Closures for Liquid Containers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a discharge closure for liquid containers, and has for its object to provide a device of the character mentioned adapted to be attached to a container for liquids above an opening provided in said container, and being secured to the latter by suction means in a manner to form a seal between the closure and the container around the opening in said container, the device then being employed as a means for forcing air into the container when the latter is tipped, and thereby reducing the vacuum within the container displacing the liquid located therein and allowing said liquid to be discharged therefrom.

The invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts set forth in the following specification and particularly as pointed out in the claims thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 represents a front elevation of a container for liquid, a discharge closure embodying my invention being illustrated attached to said container.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged central vertical section through the discharge closure.

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the sealing ring.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the upper portion of a bottle, a discharge closure embodying my invention being illustrated attached thereto.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

In the drawings, A represents a container for liquids, preferably a can, such as is employed for holding evaporated milk and the like, and B represents in its entirety a discharge closure embodying my invention and of a construction adapted to be employed upon said can. The discharge closure B embodies therein. a body member 5 constructed of any suitable material, and having annular flanges 6 and 7, preferably formed integral therewith, the flange 6 being located upon the under side of said body member, and the flange 7 being located upon the upper side thereof.

1924. Serial No. 718,520.

Fastened to the under side of the body member 5 is a sealing ring 8 constructed of any suitable elastic material, preferably rubber. The sealing ring 8 has an inwardly projecting annular flange 9 formed integral therewith which co-operates with the flange 6 of the body member 5 in securing said sealing ring to said body member. The sealing ring 8 has flanges 10 and 11 extending therearound at the lower edge thereof, and between said flanges a suction space 12 is provided. The sealing ring 8 is employed to attach the body member 5 to the top of the container A as illustrated in Fig. 2 above an opening a which may be punched by any suitable pointed instrument in said container, and in attaching said sealing member to said container the portion of said sealing member adjacent to the flanges 10 and 11 thereof is moistened and said member is forced tightly against the top of the container, spreading the flanges 10 and 11 a sufficient amount so that when the downward pressure is removed, suction within the space 12 between said flanges will cause the sealing member to tightly grip the container A in a well known manner. When the closure B is secured to the container A, a chamber 13 is formed between the under side of the body member 5 of said closure and the top of said container.

Secured to the upper side of the body member 5 is a semi-spherical shaped bulb 14 constructed of any suitable elastic material, preferably rubber. The bulb 14 has an inwardly projecting annular flange 15 formed integral therewith, which co-operates with the flange 7 of the body member 5 in securing said bulb to said member. The space within the bulb 14 and above the body member 5 constitutes an air chamber 16 for which a suitable inlet air valve 17 is provided, said valve being attached at the top of the bulb 14.

The air valve 17 embodies therein a suitable value member 18, the top of which may be utilized as a finger piece in compressing the bulb 14, and an air passage 19 is provided within said valve member 18, said passage communicating adjacent to its upper extremity with the exterior of said bulb 14, and at its lower end with the interior of said bulb. The lower extremity of the air passage 19 is normally held closed through the medium of a very thin rubber valve member 20, the upper surface of which seats against the extremity of the valve member 18. The valve member is secured in any suitable manner to a valve stem 21 which, in turn, is mounted in the upper portion of the valve member 18.

Extending downwardly from the underside of the body member 5 is an extension 22 for said body member, said extension being of suflicient length. to project a short distance into the container A through the opening ca. An air passage 28 extends vertically through the body member 5 and through the extension 22 thereof, thereby communicating with the interior of the container A.

. Secured in any suitable manner to the lower portion of the extension 22 of the body member 5 is a discharge air valve 24 of anysuitable construction capable of allowing air to pass through the passage 28 of the body member into the container A, and preventing a return of the liquid within said container upwardly through said air passage into the chamber 16 within the bulb 14. The valve 24 illustrated. is of a well known type known as au'ish valve, and is formed of rubber, the lower portion thereof being so molded that the wall of a passage 25-extending therethrough is normally held closed with suiiicient tension to prevent liquid within said container from passing upwardly therethrough. yet being sufficiently elastic to expand when air is forced downwardly therethrough bv the bulb 14.

A liquid discharge passage 26 is provided within the body member 5, said passage communicating through a port 27 with the chamber 13 beneath said body member, and said port is normally closed by a spherical valve member 28 which is loosely mounted Within the discharge passage 26 and seats Within said port 27 when the container is located in a vertical position. A discharge nozzle 29 is mounted in the body member 5 and has a passage 30 extending therethroughand communicatingv with the discharge passage 26 of said body member and said nozzle has a pair of oppositely disposed grooves 81 provided at its inner end, said grooves per- -mitting the liquid within the container to pass from the discharge passage 26 around the spherical valve member 28 and into the discharge passage 30 of the nozzle 29 when the container A is tipped and the contents thereof is being discharged.

The general operation of the device is. as follows :-,-Assuming that it is desired to empty the container A, an opening a is punched in one of the ends of said container by any suitable pointed instrument that may be at hand, said opening a being of sufficient size so that the extension 22, to-

gether with the Valve 24 attached to said extension may be inserted through said opening. Before the closure is applied to the container A the lower portion of the sealing ring 8 is moistened, after which said. sealing ring is forced tightly against the upper surface of said container above the opening a ma position for the extension 22 to project through said opening. Upon removing the pressure from the closure B,- suction within the space 12 between the flanges 10 and 11 of said sealing ring will hold the closure tightly to the topof the" container A. The container is then tipped and the bulb 14 compressed, preferablyby the forefinger, the tip of which is brought. into contact with the upper extremity of the valve member 18. In compressing the bulb 14, the air within the chamber 16 will be forced downwardly through the passage 23 expanding the dischargev air valve 24 causing the air to pass throughsaid valve into the container. WVhile this air is passing into the interior of the container, a portion of the liquid equal in volume to that displaced by the air passing into said container, passes from the latter outwardly through the opening a into the chamber 18, and from thence through the port 27 into the discharge passage 26 around the ball valve 28 and outwardly through. the discharge nozzle 29. lVhen the pressure of the finger is removed from the bulb 14, the latter in returning to its normal position, causes air to be drawn into the chamber 16 through the air inlet valve 17 and the operation of compressing and releasing the bulb 14 is repeated until the desired amount of liquid has been discharged from the container A, or until said container has been entirely emptied. I p

In Figure 4 I have illustrated a modified embodiment of my invention in which C represents a discharge closure secured to a bottle D. In this form of my invention, the closure G is provided with a sealing ring 32 which has an elastic flange 33 formed inte+ gral therewith formed in a manner to tightly engage the exterior of a bottle and tightly grip the top bead (Z thereof. In other re spects the closure C is exactly the same as the closure B previously described and operates in exactly the same manner.

I claim:

.1. A discharge closure for liquid containers comprising, in COTI1blI1LtlO11,.L body member, Suction means attached tosaid body member and attaching the latter to said container, said. body member being provided with an air passage communicating with theinterior of said container and with. a passage to discharge liquid from said container, a valve for said air passage, and means attached" to said body member to force air through said air passage into said container to displace liquid located therein.

2. A discharge closure for liquid containers comprising, in. combination, a body member, suction means attached to said body member and attaching the latter to said container, said body member being provided with an air passage communicating With the interior or said container and With a passage to discharge liquid from said container, a valve for said air passage, and a collapsible hollow nember attached to said body member and adapted to force air through said air passage into said container to displace liquid located therein.

A discharge closure for liquid containers comprising, in combination, a body niiember, suction means attached to said body member and attaching the latter to said container, said boo member being provided with an air communicating with the interior of said container and With a passage to discharge liquid from said container, a valve for said air passage, a discharge nozzle communicating with said liquid discharge passage and a rubber bulb attached to said body member and adapted to force air through said air passage into said container to displace liquid located therein.

l. A discharge closure for liquid containers comprising, in combination, a body member, suction means attached to said body member and attaching the latter to said container, said body member being provided With an air passage communictaing with the interior oi said container and With a passage to discharge liquid from said container, a valve for said air passage, a discharge nozzle communicating with said liquic discharge passage, a rubber bulb attached to said body member and adapted to force air through said air passage into said container to displace liquid located therein and an air inlet valve for said rubber bulb.

A. discharge closure for liquid containers comprising, in combination, a body member, suction means attached to said body member and attaching the latter to said container, said body member being provided With an air passage communicating with the interior of said container and With a passage to discharge liquid from said con tainer, a valve for said air passage, a valve for said discharge passage, a discharge nozzle communicating with said liquid discharge passage, a rubber bulb attached to said body member and adapted to force air through said air passage into said container to displace liquid located therein and an air inlet valve for said rubber bulb.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

EMIL O. LUNDBLAD. Witnesses FRANKLIN E. LOW, KATHRYN M, JoYoE. 

